‘The opportunity that exists for those of us that work in Communication has never been stronger…’

17 March, 2014

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Canberra Chapter held a couple of events recently where Russell Grossman, the current Director of Communications for Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke about two programs that grew out of the trauma created by the recent economic downturn in the UK – ‘Engagement for Success’ and ‘Creating Excellence in Communication for the UK Government’.

This event and the commitment by Chief Minister Katy Gallagher to ramp up Canberra’s digital capability enforces the importance of the industry that we’re in – the Communication Industry.

Here in Australia…

Within the government, not for profit and private sectors, there is less money. Jobs are being cut or re-sized and people are being asked to do more with less. Technology is fundamental to achieving this lift in productivity.

Russell Grossman argues that communication is also central to the productivity agenda and there is enormous opportunity to create huge value within organisations.

Content Marketing and Internal Communications…

To make the most of the potential of digital technology requires us to be more open and transparent. And even better – we now have the digital tools and capability to make the carriage and understanding of the message more effective through quicker and easier access to our audiences.

Content Marketing is a process that allows you to first understand and then connect with audience you are seeking to engage in order for you to achieve your objectives. In the context of internal communications it’s never been a better time to bring your people along for the ride.

Your biggest resource is your staff; those who come to work every day and contribute passion and energy to their chosen profession. We all feel so much better when we know what’s going on; when we’re fully informed about the journey ahead.

As leaders, managers and communicators you can use this content marketing methodology to help establish your message:

Discovery – Peel back the layers and get to the essence of what you are trying to achieve. Who are you and what do you do? What skills can you utilise across your organisation? What are your capabilities to tell your story? What are the constraints?

Strategy – What are your goals and objectives? What are the topics and who are you seeking to influence (staff)…? How can you link your content marketing objectives back to your corporate objectives? What is the story you want to tell?

Content and Distribution – Identify the types of content and the most appropriate channels for internal distribution… is it your intranet? Is it video, stills, graphic, text or audio? Should you create an internal Facebook page or other social channel? And who can help you distribute the content?

Calendar – Once you’ve considered all ofoptions commit to a regular cycle of publishing. Over time you will create trust and engagement by sharing useful and valuable content with your audience.

Analytics – Measure the effectiveness of your publishing to confirm the way forward. Make sure your audience are engaging, and if they’re not look at new ways to connect with them.

Slice and Dice your content to create value for money

Digital distribution creates value for money. A single piece of content can be utilised for multiple platforms. As an example – you write a case study and create content (video, audio, photographs, graphic) for your website then you:

Tweet the headline and still image

Distribute the article through LinkedIn

Post to Facebook or other platforms

Podcast the audio through SoundCloud

Put the video on YouTube

Send the link to the case study through your internal mail system.

So there you have it – SIX channels to spread the word. And SIX channels that will connect you to your diverse audience.

Engage and Inform

We all love a good story… so start spreading the word and tell your story to those that matter.

The benefits of engaging and informing your staff will carry you through and cement long term commitment through these challenging times.

Each week a staff member puts pen to paper to write about an aspect of content communication that speaks to them, and hopefully, informs you. This is a space where our passion for writing, learning and sharing information comes to shine.